Copy Skills with Affinity! - Chapter 23

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈

Chapter 23: Cleanup

──────

The position Lady Noel held within the Imperial Military could practically be called absolute.

But that did not mean nobody disliked her. There were few of them, but there were certainly people who had become her enemies for their own reasons.

Envy, jealousy, or those who had belonged to opposing factions within the military and lost out in the competition.

Everyone in this room could probably relate to that.

"... I understand what you're saying."

Sir Levant, the knight known as the Alpha Wolf, spoke reluctantly.

It was not a terrible nickname by sound alone, but anyone who called Sir Levant that to their face should be prepared for a broken nose.

It was openly mocking. It meant the leader of those beneath Lionheart.

That alone was enough to explain why Sir Levant disliked Lionheart. Still, how they felt about the job they had been offered was another matter.

"Are you openly telling us to harm someone close to Lionheart?"

"Strictly speaking, she isn't someone close to her."

The man replied in a calm voice as smooth as silk, one that could be called refined or noble.

He had the looks of a young nobleman.

What he was saying, however, was thoroughly vicious.

"I'm referring to targeting her husband's guard. Even if the trail leads back to us, it won't become such a major issue."

...

Honestly, Sir Levant did not like him.

His delicate, shining appearance felt like a mask hiding a venomous nature.

Still, it was troublesome because he was not someone before whom Levant could show such feelings.

Rad Ilja Barfon. The Empire's Minister of Administration. A high-ranking noble, perhaps fourth or fifth in the imperial palace's hierarchy.

That status alone was intimidating enough, but there was another fact that eclipsed even that.

'The Second Prince's closest confidant...'

Remembering that information, Sir Levant touched their lips.

This brazen request probably represented that side's will.

"You have no reason to refuse, do you? You must know who ordered me here."

"..."

"If you handle this matter well, consider whose protection you will receive from now on. And consider who currently stands as the legitimate heir to the imperial throne."

"... It is an attractive offer."

Sir Levant kept their frown as they looked at him.

Honestly, they could not understand his intentions.

It would have been one thing if he had asked them to strike directly at Lionheart herself, but this...

'Rather than Lionheart...'

This was clearly a request born of ill will toward Lionheart's husband.

"I cannot imagine what benefit there is in targeting him."

"I heard Lionheart and her husband’s adjutant fought at the training grounds yesterday. Have you heard?"

"...?"

As Sir Levant tilted their head at the sudden question, Rad continued in a faintly amused voice.

"They fought rather fiercely, enough to injure one another. Yet I heard the adjutant's wounds were cleanly regenerated, without even showing any sign of pain."

"... What are you implying?"

"It is not widely known, but there is a member of the Holy Empire's royal family with precisely that ability."

"..."

At that, Sir Levant's expression grew serious as well.

"If Lionheart's husband has royalty serving as an adjutant... Well, that alone would be blasphemous to the Holy Empire. If that person were injured in an unfortunate accident, it would become twice the problem."

In other words.

Whether they succeeded or failed, simply involving that princess in something dangerous would cause quite a large incident.

Lionheart's husband would be caught in a no-win situation.

"... But if so, would we not be in greater trouble for attempting to assassinate royalty? That is absurd..."

"You will be safe, so don't worry."

"What?"

"The Holy Empire cares about her because she was born into royalty. It will not take personal vengeance too seriously. We can smooth it over somehow."

"... Is the attempted assassination of royalty truly something that can be brushed aside so easily?"

"If it is that princess, it is."

Rad gave a short laugh.

She would not even die if someone tried to assassinate her.

More than that, she was a very special person with not a single person on her side.

In other words.

"That woman is alone."

Rad's sentence came out smoothly.

"No one would mourn her, no matter what happened."

It was smooth, but also sharp enough to carry malice.

▣

-System Message

[ The Sub Quest has one day remaining. ]

[ A penalty will be imposed upon failure! ]

...

Aiden knew that perfectly well without being reminded.

It had been exactly one day since Katia, who had remained silent no matter what anyone said after the incident at the training grounds, vanished somewhere without a word.

Lady Noel had also shut herself in her private quarters and refused to come out. The entire building felt heavy with an ominous atmosphere.

'It definitely said...'

The Sub Quest had told him to resolve this situation peacefully.

It was probably another way of saying that he needed to mediate between those two properly.

'First, I need to find where she went.'

How was he supposed to resolve anything peacefully when he did not even know where she was?

That had to come first, but a clue arrived from an unexpected place.

"Her Highness is on the roof."

The moment they met in the corridor, Stella spoke in a tired voice.

"I have done what I can to keep yesterday's disturbance from growing any larger. But comforting the people involved as well seems beyond me."

"... You have worked hard."

"She seems ready to explode if anyone approaches her wrong, so I instructed everyone to stay away. It may be dangerous, but could you perhaps calm Her Highness down somehow, Aiden?"

"I'll try."

"..."

Stella narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can you do that?"

"Yes."

Her gaze seemed to ask whether he could say that so easily about a bomb that might explode at any moment, but Aiden met it calmly.

"... Aiden."

After holding his gaze for a long while, Stella let out a deep sigh.

"It has been a long time since I saw Lady Noel behave so emotionally. I do not think I have seen it even once since the Coalition War."

"..."

"I suppose you really are something. People like them are this shaken because of you."

"Thank you... I think?"

His thanks sounded strange because Stella's words did not sound like praise at all.

Her next words made that clear.

"Please be careful not to become a womanizer."

"..."

"If Lady Noel is ever hurt because of you, well."

You had better know how to conduct yourself.

Watching Stella leave after that frightening warning, Aiden scratched the back of his head.

'... I'm sorry, but.'

Honestly, he could not promise that.

If he had taken on the burden of saving the world, then he had to do everything he could.

That was why he was actively trying to resolve things with Katia in the first place.

-Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

Only you know the truth of this world. Build Bonds with important figures in the Main Story to gain new rewards!

Relationships naturally developed or deteriorated when emotions ran especially high.

If he looked only at building a Bond with Katia, there could not be a more suitable moment than this.

"..."

... It did prick his conscience.

Still, it also felt like this action itself neatly summed up the path he would need to walk from now on.

He had no intention of deliberately playing with anyone's heart. Yet, having acquired Weaver of Fate, Aiden was in a position where he had to do whatever it took to earn favor.

There was still much to consider about what form the Affinity described by the system actually took. He could not be certain that it would never develop into romantic affection between a man and a woman.

Still, one thing was certain.

'I think this person will be safe.'

Aiden watched Katia sitting on the rooftop railing with her legs stretched out.

He had a strange certainty that, whatever might be true of others, Katia was not even someone with whom romantic feelings could be discussed yet.

How should he put it?

She seemed like someone who did not even understand what those feelings were.

"Your Highness."

When he called to her, Katia whipped around to look at him.

Her expression immediately crumpled, and she swiftly turned back toward the front.

She looked like a sulky child.

"..."

Aiden gave a bitter smile.

Even in that state, she was not running away after seeing him. It was probably a good chance to speak with her.

That was clear enough from the fact that she said nothing even as he approached and sat on the railing beside her.

"Why are you in such a bad mood?"

"... Go away."

"Are you bothered by what Lady Noel said?"

Katia's mouth shut with a click.

Silence was as good as confirmation.

Aiden's smile deepened as he sat beside Katia without another word.

He had not known this princess for long, but one impression had become clear after watching her behavior.

'She's like a child.'

She tried to have everything go her way, then became angry when it did not.

She could be piercingly sharp when reading other people's emotions, yet could not control her own feelings at all.

"..."

There was no need to think too deeply about why she had become like that.

'Come to think of it, it is strange.'

When she entered the Empire, she came alone without even one attendant. Even though she was staying here as she pleased, the Holy Empire had not made a single normal request for her return or for her to be better cared for.

It was as though they did not care whether she existed or not.

That was how Katia was treated in the Holy Empire.

If he remembered even a little of the setting, there had been an explanation that before entering the main scenario, Katia had not possessed even a proper friend or acquaintance.

An eccentric. A monster. Something alien. Something disgusting. An object of fear.

In other words, a loner.

Regardless of how intelligent she was, she had clearly never built a proper relationship with anyone in her life.

She had never even had the opportunity to mature as a person.

And someone like that...

For the first time, wanted to look good in front of Aiden.

He could understand why the form of her Affinity displayed in the status window was Obsession.

There was probably no one else in the world she wanted to be close to.

"... Why did you come?"

That gloomy voice was likely a response born from the fear that she might be hated by the person she cared about.

Aiden rubbed his chin as he replied.

"I came to see how you were doing. You looked so unwell."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"..."

"Then, should I leave?"

When he said that with a broad smile, Katia shot him a sideways glare.

"... Was I..."

After saying only that, Katia remained silent for a long time before forcing out the rest.

"Was I only someone who got in your way?"

"No."

It would be too harsh to put it that way.

Katia had complied without complaint with everything Aiden had asked of her until now.

"... Then was that woman just talking nonsense?"

"No. You are a nuisance."

Katia's expression went blank as Aiden immediately agreed as if there could be no doubt about it.

Looking at her face, Aiden gave another short laugh.

"Let me ask you the opposite. Is that not a nuisance by any normal standard?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Aiden rattled off one sentence after another to the dumbfounded Katia.

All the inconveniences he had suffered since she insisted on becoming his adjutant poured out.

"You ask me to kill you whenever you feel like experiencing something."

"..."

"You follow me around as though I should not expect any privacy at all."

"..."

"I can barely sleep, eat, or even use the bathroom properly."

"..."

As Katia's expression grew increasingly bizarre, Aiden yawned and continued adding more.

It would be one thing if she did not mean any harm, but she knew better and could think things through, which made it worse. She needed to consider the people around her. Even the servants in the building had been filing endless complaints because of her...

"... Then."

For a long time, Katia took every word without protest. Her usual willfulness drained away until she seemed to shrivel in on herself.

Her face was badly twisted, and moisture had gathered around her eyes. She looked genuinely hurt by the truths Aiden had laid out...

"So, I'm not someone you need..."

"Then don't do it from now on."

Katia's eyes widened.

Seeing her look as if she had heard something unimaginable, Aiden sighed inwardly.

Like this.

Seeing that she had never even imagined the act of being forgiven...

He could roughly guess what kind of life she had lived in the Holy Empire.

"..."

Come to think of it.

Chapter 2 of the main scenario, Blasphemy against Divinity, was an event that began because Katia was alone.

So.

Here and now, he would lay down the groundwork to twist that event entirely.

"Friends can be a little troublesome to each other. You just need to stop doing it from now on."

In truth, for someone like Aiden to say he would be friends with royalty was itself worthy of a charge of disrespect.

Even so, Aiden finished in a firm tone.

He did intend to raise her Affinity and copy skills, but in many ways...

If anything, this person seemed to need that kind of relationship even more.

Katia's face grew even stranger at those words.

"... Friends?"

She pronounced the word friends as if she had just heard someone say they were going to eat a shoe heel.

As if it were the first time in her life she had ever heard such a word.

"Friends."

"... You and me? Friends?"

"Friends."

Repeating the word to drive the point home, Aiden took something from inside his clothes.

It was a small hip flask, something Aiden used occasionally.

It was not much of a gift, but it felt awkward to say something like that empty-handed, so he handed it over.

"This is a token."

"..."

Katia accepted it reluctantly, still wearing that bizarre expression.

"Katia."

"Yes."

"Since we're friends, make me one promise."

"..."

"Don't go picking fights with other people for no reason. And if possible, don't hurt anyone."

"..."

"You should apologize to Lady Noel later for picking a fight with her, too."

"..."

"Can you promise me?"

"... All right."

Katia curled into herself and hugged the hip flask tightly.

She looked like a mother bird brooding over an egg.

"I'll keep it."

...

Well.

At least she seemed to be listening properly, which was fortunate.

"I'll trust you."

When Aiden said that with a stretch, Katia nodded.

... Uncharacteristically, she looked completely docile.

▣

-System Message

▶ The target, Katia's, Obsession toward you rises to Level 2.

▶ The skill Weaver of Fate activates. You can copy additional skills!

▶ Your influence over the target, Katia, greatly increases.

▶ The target, Katia, undergoes a major emotional change because of you. The possibility of altering the future has arisen.

▶ The target's Individual Quest will soon become available.

▶ Information on the Unique Trait Origin is unlocked.

"..."

Just one thing. Give me just one thing.

He had only made a promise of friendship. Why were so many things pouring in at once?

Still, one message stood out more than the others.

'... A Unique Trait?'

Tilting his head, Aiden opened the skill window.

As he remembered it, this was a powerful ability operating on a different level from ordinary skills.

-Skill Info

■ Omnipotence [ Level 1 ]

You can combine two or more abilities to produce effects stronger than before.

▶ Combinations currently discovered

〓 Guardian's Flame (Heart of Pure White ↔ First Vow)

■ Origin [ Locked ]

Increase your influence over others to unlock the ability.

▶ Individual Quests [ 1/2 ]

... Individual Quests.

From the system message, it seemed they opened when he caused a great emotional change in someone and created the possibility of altering the future.

That probably meant the skill would unlock once he opened one more.

Omnipotence, which had opened when he combined multiple abilities, was a Trait that granted an additional advantage when he did that. Based on the condition to unlock this one...

'... Is it an ability that lets me strongly influence other people?'

That was probably the reasonable conclusion.

He would only know for certain later.

'More importantly...'

So.

He had somehow resolved one side of things, but...

-System Message

[ The Sub Quest has one day remaining. ]

[ Progress: 50% ]

"..."

Aiden stared at the window with a slight frown.

Why was the progress only halfway complete?

'... Do I have to comfort Lady Noel too?'

Katia had always seemed emotionally young, so he understood the need to comfort her.

But needing to do the same for Noel was unexpected. Just how bad was her condition?

"... What a life."

With a sigh, he started walking again.

Unlike Katia, he already knew where Noel was. Reaching the door to her private quarters, Aiden knocked twice.

"Lady Noel, it's Aiden. May I come in?"

...

Even after waiting a long time, there was no response.

Tilting his head, Aiden carefully opened the door.

The moment he did, alcohol's sharp, distinctive scent stabbed into his nostrils.

The smell was strong enough to feel like it covered his face as soon as he opened the door, and Aiden frowned deeply.

He enjoyed a can or two of beer after work himself, but drinking enough for the smell to fill the entire room was not simply a matter of liking or disliking alcohol. He considered it crude behavior and avoided it.

Which meant this situation was unquestionably strange.

Especially considering who owned the room.

"... Lady Noel?"

Aiden carefully stepped inside, then his mouth fell open at the sight before him.

Empty cans. Liquor bottles drained clean. If they were all gathered together, there would probably be enough to build a small pyramid.

Even so, the empty containers were neatly arranged in orderly rows, clearly revealing Noel's personality.

Aiden stood there blankly for a moment before picking up the nearest bottle. The label on the bottle proudly stated that it was 50% ABV.

Looking around, he saw at least five more empty bottles with the same label.

"..."

As he stared at it, speechless, someone suddenly stirred and sat up on the bed.

"Oh."

Noel, her face flushed red, said,